Sea Unicorns May Be on the Verge of Becoming a Fairytale: The Arctic Narwhal

Author: Haley Valdez

Sea Unicorns May Be on the Verge of Becoming a Fairytale: The Arctic Narwhal 

Unfortunately, the mythical creature we all loved as children, the unicorn, does not exist. Thankfully to fill the void we’ve all had since finding out they aren’t real, we have Monodon monoceros, otherwise known as narwhals. It is likely you haven’t seen these amazing creatures in real life as they are native to colder waters in the arctic mainly staying in waters around Canada, Greenland, and Norway. During the winter the majority of the species population migrates to Baffin Bay, an area between Canada and Greenland, where they spend up to five months under ice-covered waters. This article goes more in depth about the habitats of the species (1). Narwhals are highly specialized animals that have very specific migratory patterns and diets consisting mainly of cod, halibut, squid, and shrimp. Because of their limitations to the food they can eat and habitat they can live in, many scientists are worried about the negative impacts rising sea temperatures / climate change will have on these animals. More about the specialization of these animals can be found here (2). As for mating, little is known about the breeding habitat for narwhals; however, it is known that they breed seasonally between March and May and usually give birth about fifteen months later.   

But are these amazing animals going to soon become non-existent like the fairytale creature they’re compared to? 

Much like all the other wildlife on our planet, climate change has been seen negatively impacting narwhals over the last few years. Due to the increased water temperatures, ice in the arctic has been less available, more unreliable, and has started to break off into large floating sheets called ice floe. Because of these factors, breathing holes in ice have become more unpredictable leading to entrapments and death for narwhals. This journal talks more about these findings (5). Not only are entrapments a big threat, but these animals have been recorded exceeding their dive limits causing major energy loss while foraging for food. One study documented a subgroup and reported that the narwhals consistently surpassed depths of 800 m with about 13% exceeding the approximate dive limit. Added information on this study can be found in this article (6). 

It’s not just exhaustion that narwhals have to worry about…

Due to the water temperatures warming all over the ocean, one of the oceans top predators, the orca, has appeared more frequently in narwhal’s habitats. Sadly, it’s not so they can visit their sea unicorn buddies. Killer whales have been known to prey on narwhals, which may further affect their behavior and distribution across the arctic. In an attempt to avoid free Willy, narwhals have been seen moving to areas with denser packed ice, which can again lead to more energy loss from longer required dives (5).       

One might ask, ‘well what's so bad about warmer water? Who doesn't like a jacuzzi?!’   

To better understand why rising water temperatures and the presence of orcas affect narwhals, let's learn a little about how their bodies work! Living in such extremely cold waters, narwhals are able to keep warm through a couple of methods. One of these methods includes lacking a dorsal fin which allows them to retain more warmth since a dorsal fin serves as a way to dissipate excess heat. The second method narwhals use to stay toasty is blubber. The large amounts of blubber these animals carry help to act as insulation, this is a lot like having a good winter coat except you can’t take it off when you start getting hot, or in the narwhal’s instance, when the water temperatures are rising (1). Along with the ability to endure some of the coldest water in the ocean, narwhals have also physically adapted to be able to dive to depths as deep as 800 m for as long as eighteen minutes. They are able to do this through having predominantly slow twitch muscles in order to slowly ascend to depths while saving energy, being able to store large amounts of oxygen in the muscles and blood stream, and having high levels of myoglobin (5). Adding all that up equates to one of the best equipped mammals for deep water marathons. Unfortunately though having predominantly slow twitch muscles means that they won't be racing Michael Phelps anytime soon. This also makes it extremely hard for narwhals to quickly get away from orcas, which is why they have been documented moving to densely ice packed regions because they are able to dive deeper and longer than killer whales.          

All hope is not lost!

Because narwhals live in such a remote region of the world there are not a lot of direct steps that we can take to help the efforts in protecting them, but we can help by raising more awareness and educating others on the topic, signing petitions to get more funding for their protection, and donating when we can to organizations that dedicate themselves to helping threatened species. If you would like to donate or ‘adopt a narwhal’ visit The World Wildlife Fund.  Just because there may not be a lot of ways to directly help narwhals, there are still ways we can help our oceans! This includes conserving our water at home, being more conscious of choosing nontoxic products, buying sustainable seafood, practicing safe boating, reducing vehicle pollution when possible, and volunteering. To learn more about these steps visit the NOAA.  

Citations

1. Chambault, P., O. M. Tervo, E. Garde, R. G. Hansen, S. B. Blackwell, T. M. Williams, R. Dietz, et al. “The Impact of Rising Sea Temperatures on an Arctic Top Predator, the Narwhal.” Scientific Reports 10, no. 1 (December 2020)
2. Laidre, Kristin L., Ian Stirling, Lloyd F. Lowry, Øystein Wiig, Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen, and Steven H. Ferguson. “QUANTIFYING THE SENSITIVITY OF ARCTIC MARINE MAMMALS TO CLIMATE-INDUCED HABITAT CHANGE.” Ecological Applications 18, no. sp2 (March 2008)
3. Nicklen, Paul. HIGH-TECH AND INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE JOIN FORCES TO PROTECT THE MELTING ARCTIC’S MOST AT-RISK ANIMALS, National Geographic , 9 July 2019, wwf.ca/stories/arctic-species-conservation-fund-2019/. 
4. Nicklen, Paul. UNICORN OF THE SEA: NARWHAL FACTS, National Geographic , www.worldwildlife.org/stories/unicorn-of-the-sea-narwhal-facts. 
5. Pagano, Anthony M., and Terrie M. Williams. “Physiological Consequences of Arctic Sea Ice Loss on Large Marine Carnivores: Unique Responses by Polar Bears and Narwhals.” The Journal of Experimental Biology 224, no. Suppl 1 (February 15, 2021)
6. Williams, Terrie M., Shawn R. Noren, and Mike Glenn. “Extreme Physiological Adaptations as Predictors of Climate-Change Sensitivity in the Narwhal, Monodon Monoceros.” Marine Mammal Science 27, no. 2 (April 2011)

Image Credit

"File:Monodon monoceros pod.jpg" by Dr. Kristin Laidre, Polar Science Center, UW NOAA/OAR/OER (2006), accessed via Wikimedia Commons and licensed under Public Domain.

"File:Pod Monodon monoceros.jpg" Dr. Kristin Laidre, Polar Science Center, UW NOAA/OAR/OER (2006), accessed via Wikimedia Commons and licensed under Public Domain.